I was recently at a restaurant when 2 pre-teen girls walked in and they both wearing pajama bottoms as pants. And they were with parents!
At what point did an item of clothing meant for lounging and sleeping become acceptable attire for going out to dinner? It's bad enough to see kids wearing their pajama pants on the weekend at Dunkin Donuts but it's even worse when it is at a restaurant.
Have parents stopped trying to instill standards in their children? Do they just not want to argue with their pre-teen or teenage child? Or have parents become so complacent that they just accept any new fashion and go with it?
Either way parents are not helping their children when they allow them to go out dressed in anything they want. They are not instilling a sense of self respect, or what appropriately dressed means. When a parent does not instill these values in their child, it can be hard for that child as s/he gets older. Will that child understand what is appropriate for his/her work place? Or for an interview? We are judged by the way we dress whether we like it or not and it should be important for children to understand how to present themselves well.
When we dress good, we feel good, when we dress in sloppy casual clothes, we tend to feel worse and be less productive. Helping a child look his or her best so that s/he can feel good about themselves, act better and be more productive as well as be dressed appropriately for the place they are going is an excellent lesson a parent teach do for their child.
How we present ourselves is a reflection on us. Next time your kid wants to wear pj's out and about ask yourself this... what if your child's teachers or doctors started wearing pajama pants to work. Would you really want them involved in your child's life or trust that they would be doing the best job they could? If it's not ok for people involved in your child's life, it shouldn't be ok for your child either.
